"Yes, they can, if Ukraine does not receive urgent assistance," Duda told French newspaper, when asked whether Russia could win.
The Polish leader added that Western countries and their allies should send military equipment to Ukraine in the coming weeks.
Western countries have been supplying Ukraine with various types of weapon systems, including air defense missiles, multiple launch rocket systems, tanks, self-propelled artillery and anti-aircraft guns since Russia launched its special military operation in Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
In April 2022, Moscow sent a note to NATO member states condemning their military assistance to Kiev after Russia started its military operation in Ukraine. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned that any arms shipments on Ukrainian territory would be "legitimate targets" for Russian forces.
Increase in Defense Budget
Duda added that Poland will increase its defense budget to over 4% of the country's gross domestic product (GDP) in 2023 to strengthen its defense capabilities.
"The Polish army is expanding its defensive capabilities. We are buying weapons. In 2023, more than 4% of GDP will be allocated for defense," Duda said, adding that this figure was twice as much the NATO standard.
In 2022, the defense budget of Poland was 2.4% of GDP. Warsaw planned to increase it to 3%, or about $28 billion, in 2023. At the same time, Poland has already spent more than 1% of its GDP on the supply of weapons and military equipment to Ukraine, according to official data.
Cooperation with NATO
The number of US military personnel deployed in Poland has doubled over the past two years, reaching almost 10,000, Polish President added.
At the end of 2020, media reported about 5,000 US soldiers stationed in Poland.
"We have done everything to join NATO, precisely in order to receive the guarantee under Article 5 of the [NATO] treaty … Today, with the strengthening of NATO's presence on the eastern flank, almost 10,000 US troops are deployed on our land," Duda said.
NATO has been boosting its eastern flank along the borders with Russia and Belarus since late 2021 by dispatching additional troops. In response to Moscow launching a military operation in Ukraine in February 2022, NATO has further reinforced the flank by sending more ships, planes and ground troops to the region and putting them on high alert.
NATO's Article 5, which provides that any attack on a member of the alliance "is considered as an attack against all Allies," became a matter of active discussion after a missile fell in Poland and killed two people in November 2022.
Although NATO and the United States have concluded that the missile was not fired from Russia, Warsaw has kept talking about the importance of the guarantees set out in the article.